Contact and filter apparatus



AP 1929. w. D. HA'RRIS ET'AL 1,707,672

con'rAc'r AND FILTER APPARATUS Filed Feb. 13, 1928 1. v w I A! 4ATTORNEYS,

Patented Apr. 2, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM; D. HARRIS AND ROBERT AYCOCK, OF KANSAS CITY, IIQSOUBI,ABSIGNORS TO BEFINOIL MANUFACTURING CORPORATION, 02 KANSAS CITY,KISSOUBI, A

COMORATION OF MISSOURI.

CONTACT AND FILTER Application filed February 1:, 1928. Serial no. mpsi.

Our invention relates to apparatus for filtering lubricating oils andwas designed more particularly for use in connection with our improvedprocess forrefining used mineral lubricating oils which is fullydescribed and claimed in our co-pending application Serial No. 295,835in which the last steps of the process consist in causing the oil, afterit leaves the still in which the diluents are vaporized, to passupwardly through an active adsorptive reagent then allowing the productsof the reaction to settle into a bed which forms a very satisfactoryfilter.

Our invention hasjor its object to produce an apparatus in which tocarry out the steps as above outlined and further to produce a devicewhich will retain the heat in the oilwhile it is being purified.

-Withthe general object named in view, the.

invention consists in certain novel and usetul features of constructionand organization as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order thatit may be fully understood, reference is to be had to the accompanyingdrawing, in which:

igure 1 is a central vertical section taken through a-combined contactand filter chamber forming a part of the invention.

Figure 2 is a section on the line IIII of Fi ure 1. Figure 3 is asection on theline IIIIII of Figure 1.

In the said drawing, where like reference characters identifycorresponding parts in all of the figures, 1 indicates a double-walledcontact chamber and filter, the double walls being provided to assist inretaining the heat of the oil as discharged from a still, although ofcourse such a construction is not a prerequisite for the operation ofthe process as will hereinafter appear and other means of insulation maybe employed. Fitted within the bottom of the contact chamber is a ring 2providing a shoulder receiving a sealing gasket 3 for the support of aring spider 4 carrying a fine mesh screen or filter 5 held in clampedposition on the spider by an overlying clamping plate 6. Communicatingwith the contact chamber below the screen 5 is an outflow pipe 7controlled b a valve 8, the bottom ring 2 being recesse as at 9 topermit uninterrupted communication between the pipe and the chamber.

The particular contact apparatus lllllS- trated' comprises aperforatedoontact plate 1Q'which-is supported some distance above thescreen 5 by an oil supply pipe 11 detachably secured by a union 12 to anoil discharge pipe 13 communicating with an oil refining still 1 4 andbeing controlled by a hand valve 15.

The contact apparatus illustrated and described is the same as shown incopending apafter the oil has been refinedwithin the still 14, theoperator places a suflicient quantity of fullers earth or equivalentmaterial 16, to.

which may have been added any desirable reagent to absolutely insureneutralization of the acid in the oil, upon the contact plate 10 whichis spaced above the bottom of the tank as shown in the drawing.The'valve 15 is now opened and the hot oil is discharged through pipe 11below the perforated contact plate 10 and passes upwardly through theclarifyin material 16. Upon the passage of the 01 through the reagent aheavy coagulant or sludge is produced by the reaction between thecontamination in the oil and the active ingredients of the fullersearth, and this sludge which of course also includes any inactiveingredients in "the fullers earth immediately commences to settle, saidmaterial passing through the openings in the contact plate 10 and restson and is supported by the screen 5.

When it is desired to filter the oil, the valve 8- is opened and five orsix gallons of the oil are withdrawn and poured back into the top of thetank to insure that no oil shall have been, untreated by being ocketed.below the screen. After a quantity 0 the oil has been withdrawn andreplaced in the apparatus, the valve 8 may be fully opened and the oilwill slowly percolate through the filter bed provided by the coagulant.It has been found that this coagulated material acquires oil saturatedgranulated consistency and that the 011 discharged therethrough isentirely free of sediment. The advantages in the saving of time andexpense of special filter equipment, of this process by entirelyomitting the step of decanting or separately filtering the treated 01],are obvious. In other words, it has been found that the character of thefullers earth is altered by contact and that if this material ispermitted tosettle and the entire body of oil passed therethrough, theoil is clarified better than if it were permitted to pass through in onedirection only.

- through the fullers earth in one direction only, the advantage of thechanged character of the material by the contacting step is lost.

From the above description, it will be apparent that while we havedescribed and claimed the preferred embodiment of the invention, wereserve the right to make all changes properly falling within the spiritand scope of the appended claims.

'WVe claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a still, a heat insulatedcontact and filter chamber, a perforated plate in said chamber incontact with the outer wall thereof, a downflow pipe which leads fromsaid still and supports said plate in spaced relation to the bottom ofsaid chamber, a filter screen mounted in said insulated chamberintermediate the said plate and the bottom of the chamber, and means todraw ofl the purified oil from said space.

2. In a device of the character described, a still, a contact and filterchamber, a perforated plate in said chamber in contact with the outerwall thereof, a down-flow pipe which leads from said still and supportssaid platein spaced relation to the bottom of said chamber, a filterscreen mounted intermediate the said plate and the bottom of thechamber, and means to draw off the purified oil from said space.

3. In a device of the character described the combination with a still,of a contact chamber,

That is, if it is passed a perforated plate adjacent thebottom thereofbut spaced therefrom, means to lead oil from said still to the lowerside of said perforated plate, a filter screen mounted intermediate saidplate and the bottom of said chamber in contact with the outer wallthereof but spaced from the plate and the bottom and below the outlet ofsaid pipe, and means to draw off the purified oil from below saidscreen.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination with a still,of a contact and filter chamber, means to insulate the walls of saidchamber, a perforated plate in said chamber adjacent its bottom butspaced therefrom, means to connect said still to the bottom of saidplate, a filter screen intermediate said plate and said bottom butspaced from both, said screen being below the outlet of said means, aring spider to support said screen, an annular member, a gasket on saidmember, a ring which clamps said screen and gasket to said annularmember, and means to draw off the purified oil from below said screen.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination with a sourceof supply of oil to be purified, of a contact and filter chamber, aperforated plate spaced from the bottom of said chamber in contact withthe outer wall thereof, a filter screen intermediate the plate and thebottom of the chamber but spaced from them both, a pipe to convey oil tothe chamber below said plate and above said screen, and means to drawoff the purified oil from below said screen.

In testimony whereof we alfix our signatures.

I/VILLIAM D. HARRIS. ROBERT V. AYCOCK.

